What are your credentials?
Credentials are the means by which we can readily identify a person’s authority to practice within a given vocation. The value of these credentials is relative to a given standard as established by the authority that has the oversight of that particular vocation.
I am confident that we would all agree that the authority over all Disciples of Christ is Christ Himself and that the standard He established for all disciples is defined by His own word. If we are to practice in our vocation as Disciples of Christ then we should make certain our credentials are in order. So what are these credentials as defined by our Lord?
"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
(John 13:35 KJV)
If you need further clarification I suggest it can be found in this:
"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NASB)
offered by Kc | 6/16/2008 07:27:00 AM
4 Comments:
During the time I was the youth leader in my church, we had the largest (50+) and, arguably, the most cohesive youth group in decades of the assembly's history. Kids were inviting their friends from school, calling each other during the week, praying together, etc.
When my name was brought up to be considered to occupy the position full-time, a couple of the board members said, "He can't do that. He doesn't have a bible degree! We need a trained professional."
So they went and got one. Within a couple months, the youth group was back to the original dozen kids whose mothers made them come.
My position has always been that your effectiveness is your credential. My effectiveness was rooted in nothing else but my love for those kids. Therefore, I have to agree with you utterly.
Yes, agreed. Also, its an oxymoron that those credentials are not as easy to come by as others may be - and yet they are very simple to come by. You cannot get them by reading or even doing - but by living them (or as Dorsey says, "being" them).
I find it interesting that a man can have the audacity to assume he has the right to authorize another man to minister for God, based on the number of man-made courses that man has completed.
Control is a sickening illusion-- especially in the church.
Thanks all. I really hadn’t intended to belittle formal training in any way though I do agree with your thoughts.
We are to know those that labor among us but too often we examine everything, or rather accept anything in lieu of a sincere love for the brethren as a qualification.
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